Ironing table



Jan. 24, 1933.

J. E. KALGREN IRONING TABLE Filed Aug. 28, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l Jim. 24, 1933. J KALGREN 1,895,164

IRONING TABLE Filed Aug. 28, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Bow 0 0a Jab 52g e12 J3 W046i? {QM Jan. 24, 1933. KALGREN 1,895,164

IRONING TABLE Filed Aug. 28, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 W W MZ Patented Jan. 24, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. KALGBEN, OF MINNEAIPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOB T J. R. CLARK COMPANY, OF'MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA mome TABLE Application filed August 28, 1981. Serial No. 559,890.

My present invention provides an improved ironing table of the folding leg type and has for its object to improve the same in points of quick and easy operation, rigidity, durability and small cost of production.

, Generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices, combination of devices and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and defined in the claims. As a. radical departure from ironing tables having folding leg struc: tures, the present improved board is provided with folding board-supporting legs and cooperating supporting-elements provided with a definite hand-piece exposed so that it may be ri idly engaged and the board-supporting e ements being so connected that by one movement of the hand-piece, the legs and cooperating supporting elements will be automatically moved to and set in board-supporting positions, and conversely, by a reverse movement of the hand-piece, said parts will be automatically folded against the board. The term automatically is herein used in a broad sense to define a structure in which,

by the movement of a hand-piece or definite fixed handle, the movements of the supporting legs to and from folded positions, will follow without the necessity of other manipulations. In ironing tables having folding legs, as hitherto constructed, there has been no definite fixed hand-piece, or no definite part that could be manipulated as an element, to set up the legs and fold the same against the board, and in fact, to set the legs and supporting elements in board-supporting position, has required successive mampulation of several different parts, and the order of manipulation it was necessary for the operator to be informed or to determine by considerable experiment.

With the definite hand-piece arran ed for operation as above indicated, and as ereinafter more fully disclosed, the hand-piece presents itself as the operating element just as clearly as does the bail on a pail. The invention also involves numerous novel features whereby'it accomplishes the above stated objects and produces an ironing table of high fin lilelfcial value.

In the accompanying. drawings, which 11- lustrate a commercial form of the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings Fig. 1 shows an improved table with the legs and supporting elements folded against the board and with the board set in a desir able position for initial settin up of the lgs by manipulationof the han -piece;

Fig. 2 corresponds to Fig. 1, but shows the legs and co-operating supporting elements moved from folded toward set up position;

Fig. 3 is a perspective corresponding to Fig. 2, showing the legs and supporting elements forced nearly to board-supporting position;

. Fig. 4 shows the legs and board-supporting elements completely set up for supporting the board, but with the board still upright.

The board or table top is indicated by the numeral 10 and as shown is of the customary form. A pair of rear legs 1.1 is hinged to the board for folding movements toward and from the board and for lateral spreading and approaching movements. These legs, as shown, are loosely pivoted to down-turned lugs 12 of metallic strap or cross bar 13 that is riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the bottom of the rear end portion'of the board.

A third or oblique leg 14:,which, as shown,

is formed by a single bar, is hinged to the rear portion of the board and arranged to be set in a forwardly inclined position. This oblique leg 14 is shown as pivoted at 15 to a hinge bracket 16 that is rigidly secured to the bottom of the board by rivets or otherwise. To limit the downward movement of the oblique leg 14, it is provided with a short end 14 that is engageable with the bottom of the board, and the bracket 16'is provided with a transverse portion 16 that engages the under edge of said leg 14 forward of its pivot.

' A toggle-acting top brace connects therear legs to the under side of the board 10. This top board comprises a pair of bars 17 and a bail 18. The above noted parts 10, 11, and 17, it is obvious, will be preferably made of wood, while the bail 18 is preferably made from a piece of heavy wire. The rear ends of structure, also pivotally anchor pronged guide heads 20, and the purpose of which will presently appear. The legs of the bail 18 are provided with out-turned terminal ends 18' that afford trunnions pivotally mounted in bearings afforded by metallic cli s 21 riveted or otherwise ri 'dly secured to t e bottom of the-board 10. he cross bar of bail 18 is pivotally connected to the free ends of the bars 17 and this, as shown, is accomplished byseating the same in notches formed in the free ends of said bars and applying thereto the keeper-acting wide heads of the rivets 22 that are applied through the free ends of the bars 17 and in addition to the function noted, reinforce the ends of said bars 17 against splitting. A definite hand-piece preferably in the form a turned wooden sleeve 23 is applied on the cross bar of the bail 18 and as 'an additional function, holds the free end of the bar 17 properly spaced. The above noted elements'17 and 18 constitute a to gle connection between the rear legs and t e board and afford a tog le that is.not only stron against, tension %1ut rigid against latera movements.

It will be noted that in all positions of the;

hand grip or piece 23, it is free of interference by all of the other leg elements, so that an operator may easily gri the'hand piece for operation of the fo ding parts. In bringin this about it is important that the brace e ement is ivotally connectedto the board and is of su stantially less length than the distance between its pivotal connection with the board and the pivotal connection of the oblique leg with the board.

A tension-acting bottom brace connects th rear legs directly or indirectly to the free end of the oblique third leg 14. This bottom brace ispreferably afforded by a small rod or heavy wire 24 bent upon itself into ap' roximately V-shape, with its crotch pivotal y seated in the free end of said leg 15 at '25 and with its arms passed loosel through perforations in the lugs of the gui e head 20. At the extreme ends of the arms of the bottom brace 24, they are formed with stop heads 26 which, when the legs are set up to support the board, are

e co-operating heads 20 so as to put t e brace 24 under tension. Under folding action, the arms of the bottom brace 24 slide through the heads 20 to positions shown in Fi 1. The numeral 27 indicates a light metal ic toggle link connecting the intermediate portions of the bars 17 of the toggle-actin top brace. This toggleacting link 27, whifie not an essential feature, is desirable under some circumstances and for a reason which will hereinafter explained.

. ed by the legs legs to spread when turned down to support the board,I'preferably employ connections such as disclosed and claimed in my pending application S. N. 464,820, filed June 13, 1930, and entitled Ironing board. These connections include transverse crossed rear leg braces or bars 28 which, at their lower ends, are ivotally connected to the intermediate portions of the legs ll and at their upper ends are pivotally connected at 29, to down-turned lugs of the metallic cleat 12 at points considerably rearward of the'pivotal connections between said -lu legs 11. With 51 rear legs are folded against the board, they were drawn relatively close togetheriso that is arrangement, when the they will be within the transverse dimensions of the board 10; but when said rear legs are turned down, they will I be automatically spread so that their lower ends will be separated a distance board. This spreading of the legs as is well known, 1s desira le in order to fold the legs properly for shi ment and storage and to give the widebase 0 stability Summary of operation when the. legs are folded against the board, they are laterally within the width and'longi-' out bringing the legs. or any of the support-f ing structure into engagement with the floor.

and the respective ,rear

greater than the width of the to the board when support- .7 By reference to Fig. 1, it will be noted that Furthermore, it is im ortant to note that in the folded position 0 the legs, the third or oblique leg 14 terminates short of the hand iece 23 so that said hand-piece is exposed eyond the free end of the leg 14 whereit is in prominent view and may be readily en-' gaged with the hand and gripped with the i operatin hand while the legs are being moved from their foldedposition into the set-up position shown in Fig.4. When the toggle connection 27 is not provided, it is advisable to position the boardat a slight inclination, as shown in Fi 1, so that the free end of the leg 14 will, in the initial unfolding action, drop outward of the hand-piece 23. When, however, the link 27 is provided the unfolding action canybe started when the board'is at any position and even when lying flat upon its back for said link will then cause the mitial unfolding movements to carry the free end of the leg 14 outward of the hand-piece. In either case, the operator once rip in the hand-piece 23', may maintain is 01' thereon while moving the legs and supporting elements from complete folded osition folding of the legs may be accomplished by a reverse operation, that is, by a reverse movement of the hand-piece.

The first effect of movin the handiece from the position shown in ig.'1 is to orce the rear legs backward until the stops on the bottom tension member 24 are brought against the head and further movement in the direction indicated causes the bottom tension member 2-1 to pull the oblique leg 14 down or outward to its limit as permitte by the stop element 14 and 16", above described. This limits the rearward movement of the rear legs and under such swinging movement the rear legs are spread apart all under the manipulation of the hand-piece and the resulting actions that automatically take place. Of course, the greatest tension is put upon the parts when the toggle-acting top brace 1718 is on its dead center and there will be a slight decrease in the maximum tension when the toggle is buckled in Fig. 4. Nevertheless, when positioned as shown in Fig. 4, all of the supporting parts of the table will be under such tensionthat the support is given eat rigidity and the top brace will be held t ereby buckled against the board, against accidental dropping and without the use of a latch or look of any kind. From the above, it is evident that the ositioning of the rear and oblique or thir leg of the table and also the s reading of the rear legs follows automatical y from'one definite movement of the hand-piece from the position shown in Fig. 1, into the position shown in Fig. 4, and that the folding of the legs against the board and the contraction or drawing closer together 'ofthe rear legs, follows automatically from a reverse movement of said hand-piece from a position shown in Fig. 4 back to a position s own in Fig. 1.

' Also it is evident that the hand-piece is always prominently dlsplayed where it may be easily gripped and so that no shifting of the hand from one element to the other of the supporting structure is required for complete movements of the supporting legs from fold- 'ed to board-supporting positions, and con-' versely.

The drawings of this ap swinging movements toward and from saidboard, another leg element pivoted to said prise against the board, as shown lication show a commercial ironing table, t e practicability I the board.on the opposite side of said con-' nection, whereby in one position of the cross bar the board brace elements and rear legs are automatically set in board bracing and supporting positions, trem'e position said brace elements and rear legs are folded against the board.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said pivotally connected brace elements coma air of bars and a hail, the cross bar of said liail extending between and pivotally connected to said bars adjacent the free ends thereof.

3. The structure defined in claim 1 in which a tubular hand-grip is mounted on the cross bar.

4. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the length of the brace element ivotally connected to the board is substahtially less than the distance between its pivotal connection with the board and the pivotal connection of said other leg element-with the board.

5. An ironing table comprising a top board, rear legs pivoted to said board for'pivotah movements toward and from the board, a toggle-acting brace comprising a pair of bars pivotally connected to said$legs and an approximately U-shaped member pivotally connected to the board the transverse portion of and in the other exwhich extends between and is pivotally connected to the forward extended spaced ends of said bars providing a hand-grip piece between said bars, said legs and U-shaped mem- I her being pivotall connected to the board at such points and t e brace elements being of such length that when the legs are turned down from the board the toggle-acting brace will be buckled by said U-shaped member against the bottom of the board to support the same.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN E. .KALGREN.

{few parts, all I board and to said rear legs, one of said ele- L 

